Can opener



June 2, 1953 H. A. BERKMAN CAN OPENER Filed Aug. 14, 1952 J7 jai/6 n 152 Patented June 2, 1953 Herbert 'A. Berkman, Chicago, Ill., `assigner to Zim Manufacturing Company, a corporation of Illinois Application Augustl14, 1952,'Serial No. 304,369

4 Claims.

The .present invention relates to can opening tools/of 'the type disclosedrin .Patent r3;4222l, granted July l, .1947, andit has 'foritsfobject `to improve the construction 'and operation of the same.

In .the aforesaid can opener `the bead around the top of acanis causedto rest onaii'eed wheel tlhe'periphery of which isserrated, while the can top `is engaged 'by a rotary slitting cutter. In the device o'f'zthe patent 'the rcutter is solidly mounted Iforrotation` about aixed axis; whereas the feedrwheellismounted on ay swinging arm so that .it may -be swung away from the cutter to permita can to be entered or removed, andV to` be moved toward the :cutter 'to cause the latter topuncture the canclose -to the bead. Fur-daer`- more, there is on the body of fthe tool a short, horizontal flange or -lip that contacts the side of a can remote 'from the top to hold `the body of the can clear Vof the feed wheel.

There are two defects in this old type of tool. Ifn the first place, with the feedA wheel mounted on a swinging farm, not only is the cost of manufacture greaterthan is-desirable, but vit is dilcult to achieve and maintain the proper relation between Athe cutter and the feed wheel. Inthe second place, the ange or lip that 'is intended to hold the body of the can away from-the feed wheel actually ldrives the can'against the trailing edge'or" 'theV wheel, in'many` instances, so that cans are often badly scratched. 1

The flrst of these defectsl overcome bymdunting 4the i'eedwheel directly on the body portion ofthe tool, so that it rotates `about a 'fixed axis, whiie'th'e cutter is' mounted in a manner .to ensure Vthe'sarn'esolid 'support'and yet permit bodily movements to open .and close the tool. Specificaily, I mount the cutter eccentrically on one end" of la vheavy spindle `or Atrnnnion and permit the'latterto make va quarter turn for 'opening and 'closing the tool. The vthrust of 'the can against the cutter, while :the can top is .being severed is resisted by a 'xed stop, so that 'the ccnditions during this timel are the same as though the cutter were mounted directly on lthe body ofthe tool vand had no `bodiiy movement.

The second detect vis avoided through the provision, on theV aforesaid Elip or lia-nge, -o'f an e'i center projection, Ipreferably -a roller, thatzcenf I, mit! vention and of its objects and advantages, refer-v ence may be had to the following .detailed ,description. taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Eigure 1 isa front view, a small portion being in section, of. a canopener embodying the pres'- ent invention. .in ya preferred form, the device being shown lopen.

Fig..2is atop .plan view of thenew .can opener.v

FigB-is asection along the. planes offstepped. line 3 3 of Fig. .1.

Fig. 4 vis a front view Dione .end .of .the .can openenclosed, vwith ythe rotary cutter omitted.

Figs. .5a-nd- 6 are, respectively.a side view and an end viewfof theY forward Aend of .the supporting trunnion for thecutter.

Fig. 7 is a section on line .'l-l' .of Eig. l.

Referring to the drawing, ,I isa conventionalH body vmember in the tormof a long, narrow, dat plate YarrangedY on edge. wheel .2 is .fixed on the forward endof ashaft 3 that extends through. a .heavy block t, ,preferably .a vdie casting, secured to the rear side of, the body member at .the free end vof .the latter.

" @n .they rear end .of the shaft .isa conventional cated-in ananhular space between the inner surface of bore 1 .and a .section taci .reduced diameter of vthe shaft. The forward ,end .o .the

spring abutsagainstthe shoulder at thejuncture of the two. shaft sections. Feed wheel 2 has a hub 2a, larger in .diameter than. the shaft, movable into ,and out of engagement with block il through a hole 8 in the body member.

Block l has at the top, on the .rear side, a

hub is a trunnion or short piece of heavy lshafty lil that protrudes from the rear `end of the hub'. The trunnion is provided with an actuating 'lever l l in the form of a sturdy rod extending at onevv end through and being a driven t'in the rear'- wardly projecting part of 'the trunnion. 'Forming the extreme forward end ofthe trunn'ion ,vis a cam block 12', 'a portion of which projects well beyond the cylindrical surface of the trunnion.

The cam-contains a'screw-re'ceiving hole I3, that parallels the axisof the trunnion Jbut isfeccentric with lrespect thereto. A conventional rotary A conventional. .feedcutter I4, having on the rear side a hub I4, is secured to the trunnion by a screw I5 entered into hole I3; the screw forming a stub shaft on which the cutter is free to rotate.

On the front side of the body member is an arm, I6, in the form of a long, narrow, flat plate, pivotally connected to the body member, at a point inwardly and remote from the feed wheel and the cutter, by a rivet I'I. This arm extends to the free end of the body member. A second rivet I8, extends through arm I6 and through a short slot I9 in the body member, to limit the swinging movements of the arm. Arm I6 has at its lower edge, at a slightly higher level than the top of the feed wheel, a forwardly facing flange I6. A doorway 2B is cut through this flange and up into the arm in the area of the forward end of trunnion I Il and the cutter. At the top of this doorway is a forwardly projecting flange or hood I6b that overlies cam I2 on the trunnion. Arm I8 normally held down, with rivet I8 at the lower end of slot I9 as in Fig. 4, by a strong coil spring ZI. This spring is housed in an open-ended cylindrical shell 22 integral with the arm and closed at the lower end by the adjacent portion of flange IBa. A tongue 23 is partially severed from that part of arm I6 that forms the shell; the tongue being bent back past the end and against the rear face of the body member I to hold the free end of the arm against the body member. On the body member, at some distance above sleeve 22 when arm I6 is down, is a forwardly projecting lip In. Fixed to this lip, and extending down into the sleeve, is a post 24 provided with a downward extension 2lia of reduced diameter. This extension reaches well down into the spring and centers the same.

As best shown in Figs. 1 and 4, there is on the forward side of block 4, beside trunnion I0, a lug 25. Cam I2, on the front end of the trunnion, has a tip or nose IZa that strikes this lug when the combined screw and stub shaft I5 is closest to the feed wheel, as in Fig. 4. The cutter carried by stub shaft I5 is at this time in its lowermost position, namely that occupied after it has punctured the can top. Lever II at this time rises almost vertically from the body member I. When this lever is swung through about a quarter turn in the counterclockwise direction viewed as in Fig. 4, nose I2a recedes from stop lug 25 and a at peripheral portion I2b on element I2 engages the under side of hood IEb, arresting the cutter in its raised, idle position, as in Fig. 1. Flattened portion I2h is so placed that when lever II is swung up from its horizontal position, there is an upward push on flange IIib. on arm I Ii, causing the arm to swing up a little. Then the arm is allowed to swing down again until the flattened edge portion I2b contacts throughout its whole length with the under side of the hood. The tool is therefore yieldingly locked in its open state, with lever II down and out of the way.

During the cutting operation, the feed wheel turns in the counterclockwise direction, as viewed in Figs. 1 and 4, the thrust against the cutter being in the direction to press the cam block I2 against stop 25; and, therefore, no forces are acting in a manner to turn the trunnion back and lift the cutter out of the can. At the end of a cutting operation, the can is readily freed by swinging lever II from the upright to the horizontal position. While the cutting proceeds,

4 flange I6a on arm I 5 holds the can firmly against the feed wheel.

Along the lower edge of the body member is a. horizontal flange or lip I b which, heretofore has been used to engage the side of the can and prevent it from swinging against the side of the feed wheel. However, there is some frictional resistance between such a flange and a can body to interfere with a free turning movement of the can when driven by the feed wheel. I have discovered that it is this friction that causes cans to be thrown back against the edge of the wheel, well below the bead, so as to be scarred and scratched by the wheel.

In accordance with the present invention I arrange a small projection at the long, free edge of lip or flange Ib, at a point that is a little nearer the free end of the body member than is the lowermost point of the cutter when the latter is down. In the preferred embodiment, the projection is a roller or thick disc 26 which lies flat against the flangeand projects slightly beyond the said edge of the flange. In the particular construction illustrated, the roller underlies the flange and is rotatably supported by a rivet 2l'. As best shown in Fig. 8, the rivet has an enlarged section 21a adjacent to the roller engaging head 2lb. This permits the rivet to be xed to the flange without binding the roller which, therefore, may turn freely. The axis of the rivet is displaced from a vertical plane containing the axis of the feed wheel shaft 3, toward the outer end of the body member, about one eighth of an inch. When a can is inserted in the tool, the can body engages the roller outwardly from said plane and, being held down by flange IE, the can remains upright with the point of contact between the roller and the can body trailing a point on the can that has already reached said plane, as the feed wheel turns the can during a cutting operation. Thus the roller not only reduces the friction tending to retard the desired turning of a can, but it also serves as a stop to preventobjectionable can movement tending to cause the can to be scratched and scarred.

While I have illustrated and described in detail only-a single preferred embodiment of my invention, I do not desire to be limited to the exact details so illustrated and described; but intend covering all forms coming within the definitions constituting the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a can opener having a body member, a feed wheel mounted on and toward the outer end of such member, a rotary cutter on said member above the feed wheel and in cooperative relation thereto for cutting out the top of a vertically held can, and a horizontal forwardly projecting flange along the lower edge of the body member directly below the feed wheel; a small projection extending forwardly from the edge of the flange a little nearer said outer end of the body member than is a vertical plane containing the axis of the feed Wheel, the projection being in position to engage the can body and compel it to turn freely during cutting operations, and a yieldable member in position to bear on the top of the can and hold the same in -contact with the periphery of the `feed wheel and against said projection.

2. A can opener as set forth in claim l wherein the projection is a roller the axis of which is spaced a substantial distance from the vertical plane containing the axis of the feed wheel.

3. A can opener as set forth in claim 1 wherein the projection is a roller the axis of which is parallel to and about an eighth inch away from the vertical plane containing the axis of the feed wheel.

4. A can opener comprising a body member, a feed wheel mounted on the front of the latter for rotation about a xed axis, a sturdy journal extending through the body member above said Wheel with its axis inclined downwardly from rear to front, a cutter mounted on the front end of the journal, eccentrically of the axis, for bodily movements from and toward the wheel as the journal is rocked, an arm mounted on the front of the body above the journal for limited swinging movements from and toward the latter, a spring acting on said arm and tending constantly to hold it in the position nearest the journal, a

cam xed to the front end of the journal behind cutter toward said wheel when the cutter is farthest from the wheel, an operating lever xed to the rear end of the journal, and means to rotate the feed Wheel.

5 HERBERT A. BERKMAN.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 10 Number Name Date 1,583,934 Leggett May 11, 1926 1,986,657 West Jan. 1, 1935 2,278,731 Olschewski Apr. 7, 1942 2,361,561 Mueller et al. Oct. 31, 1944 15 2,375,401 Worley May s, 1945 2,532,121 Rush NOV. 28, 1950 2,607,111 Waller Aug. 19, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 20 Number Country Date 282,355 .Italy Feb. 9, 1931 627,957 Great Britain Aug. 18, 1949 

